WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden vowed urgent action against gun violence in America Wednesday, pledging steps by the Obama administration that he said could “take thousands of people out of harm’s way” and improve the safety of millions more.

But a day ahead of a meeting with the National Rifle Association, which has sunk past gun control efforts and is opposing any new ones, Biden signaled that the administration is mindful of political realities that could imperil sweeping gun control legislation, and is willing to settle for something less. He said the administration is considering its own executive action as well as measures by Congress, but he didn’t offer specifics.

“I want to make it clear that we are not going to get caught up in the notion that unless we can do everything, we’re going to do nothing,” Biden told an array of gun control advocates, crime victims and others at the White House. “It’s critically important we act.”

Shortly after last month’s slaughter of schoolchildren at Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama tasked Biden with heading a commission to come up with recommendations on gun policy by the end of this month. Obama supports steps including reinstating a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and closing loopholes that allow many gun buyers to avoid background checks.

Lew’s loopy signature may end up on dollar bills

WASHINGTON — Jack Lew’s nomination for treasury secretary means a new signature could soon be coming to the dollar bill.

Not that you’ll be able to read it.

Lew’s signature starts off promising enough, with a soft “J.” But what follows are seven loopy scribbles, rendering his signature illegible.

The treasury secretary’s signature is emblazoned in the lower right corner of U.S. dollar bills of all denominations.

No word from the White House on whether President Barack Obama asked Lew to clean up his signature before nominating him for the Treasury post — or if the Senate will make that a condition of his confirmation.

Iranians freed in major prisoner swap in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria — Rebels freed 48 Iranians on Wednesday in exchange for more than 2,000 prisoners, including women and children, held by Syrian authorities — a deal struck after rare negotiations involving regional powers Turkey, Qatar and Iran.

It was the first major prisoner swap since the uprising began against President Bashar Assad nearly 22 months ago.

Iran is one of Assad’s main allies, and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime in the civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people.

The exchange also highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of detainees languishing in Syrian prisons, many of whom were picked up at street protests and have not been heard of since.The group of 48 Iranians arrived Wednesday at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces. Looking disheveled but healthy, they were greeted by Iran’s ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, and several Iranian clerics who distributed a white flower to each of the men, some of whom broke down in tears.Mother of serial killer Ted Bundy dies in Wash.TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Louise Bundy, who was a staunch defender of her serial killer son, Ted Bundy, before he made a series of death-row confessions, has died. She was 88.She died last month in her hometown of Tacoma after a long illness, The News Tribune newspaper reported Wednesday Her death was confirmed to The Associated Press by the Rev. Melvin Woodworth, pastor of Tacoma’s First United Methodist Church, which she attended from 1951 until a few years ago, when her health prevented her.In the mid-1970s, Louise Bundy was a married mother of five working as a secretary at the University of Puget Sound when authorities across the nation began to accuse her eldest son in a series of gruesome killings.For years, she refused to believe the charges.Killer whales trapped in Quebec sea iceMONTREAL (AP) — A community in Quebec’s Far North is calling for outside help to free about a dozen killer whales trapped under a vast stretch of sea ice.Locals in Inukjuak said the mammals have gathered around a single hole in the ice — slightly bigger than a pickup truck — in a desperate bid to get oxygen.Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help them find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation.“Fisheries and Oceans Canada is assessing the situation and are exploring every possible option, but will only be in a position to determine what — if anything — can be done once our specialists arrive on site,” spokesman Frank Stanek said in a statement.A hunter first spotted the pod of about a dozen trapped whales Tuesday at the hole, which is on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay. Inukjuak is about 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) north of Montreal.